


The Joy of Dressing

by NotPersephone



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Clothes Shopping, F/M, bedannibal in paris
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 12:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11577783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotPersephone/pseuds/NotPersephone
Summary: “We can go shopping tomorrow. Together. I will select something for you. And you can choose something for me."Hannibal smiles excitedly at the prospect.





	The Joy of Dressing

“It is ruined,” Bedelia picks her blouse up from the stream of clothes on the floor and inspects the aftermath of their passionate haste.

“I am sorry,” Hannibal spreads naked on the bed of their Parisian suite, a content haze blurring his gaze and a delighted smile not leaving his lips. Bedelia watches as he extends his hand, inviting her to return to bed, ready to rectify his wrongs in the most pleasurable way. Ignoring the temptation, she keeps looking at the blouse; three buttons missing and a long tear at the seam. She isn’t really upset with him; his shirt had suffered a similar fate at her hands. But this was one of the few remaining items she brought with her from Baltimore. The last relics of her previous life are fading away. She examines this fact and finds that it does not distress her.

“I will buy you another one,” he says when she remains silent, “Anything you wish.”

“I am capable of buying my own clothes, Hannibal,” she retorts, but knows her words will not affect his resolve to replace her abandoned wardrobe, a constantly growing mound of boxes being a proof.

“Are you not satisfied with my taste?”

“I am. Your taste is better when it comes to selecting clothes for me than for yourself,” she remarks, looking at him again with a purposeful stare. Since their arrival in Europe, Hannibal’s clothes shifted towards the casual side with surprising additions like shirts with loud patterns. The veil seemed to have covered more than she expected; she secretly hopes this is nothing more than a temporary effect of a mid-life crisis.

“I am open to criticism,” he gets up and stands behind her.

“Really?” her tone and gaze remain sceptical, “You would allow someone to tell you what to wear.”

“Not someone. You.” Bedelia regards him carefully, pondering the sincerity of this unusual opportunity.

“We can go shopping tomorrow. Together. I will select something for you,” she says waiting for any objections, but none come,” And you can choose something for me,” she adds. Hannibal smiles excitedly at the prospect.

Bedelia lets the blouse out of her hands and watches as it lands back on the floor, to be discarded later, and as Hannibal’s hands begin to trail her body again, it is soon forgotten completely.

 

Hannibal beams with anticipation as they leave the hotel the next morning. Taking his arm, Bedelia reflects on the absurd ordinary of this situation; she has never bought clothes for anyone before and now she is shopping with Hannibal Lecter.

She leads him away from the main street and into a small shopping village, filled with fashion boutiques and artisanal shops. They stop in front of a window filed with sartorial accessories and Hannibal looks at her eagerly.

“I am not going to choose a suit for you,” she answers the unspoken question,” You have perfected that style over the years, alongside the construction of your person suit. But I can accessorise it, as I have done with your person suit.” And without waiting for his reply, she walks into the shop; Hannibal follows.

The man behind the counter smiles at Bedelia and offers his assistance. Hannibal is too focused on Bedelia’s actions to mind this attention. A selection of bow ties is presented on a counter and Bedelia’s fingers gently skim through the fabrics, searching for one to strike her fancy.

She chooses a black one with a faint white pattern and a brown one. Hannibal says nothing, but notes with satisfaction that the brown one matches the colour of his eyes.

 

After the first purchase is completed, they proceed to the next shop, which turns out to be a leather store.

“Leather?” Hannibal reflects as they enter.

“Yes. Do you oppose?” she asks as she begins to look at the displayed items of clothing.

“Not at all,” he smiles at her again.

“Good. Take off your jacket,” she instructs and continues to browse through the hangers. He does as he’s told, standing calmly in front of a mirror and waiting. Bedelia hands him a brown jacket and watches him try it on. Her fingers adjust the shoulders and flatten the back, but she is not entirely pleased with the effect and takes it off him. She selects another, with a lapel, but that one does not satisfy her either. Hannibal takes all the undertakings with patience, clearly enjoying his new role as her dress up model.

Finally, she chooses a black one with a short collar. She observes as he puts it on, then moves to stand in front of him and zips it up. Her hands travel to rest on his chest.

“Perfect,” she comments, “Do you like it?” her eyes look up, meeting his.

“Yes,” he says, staring back at her.

“You haven’t looked in the mirror.”

“I don’t have to,” he replies and Bedelia smiles. She enjoys this more than she expected.

 

Hannibal’s first choice is a lingerie boutique, how very predictable. The saleswoman welcomes them with a bright smile and Hannibal delights in telling her he’s looking for something for his wife. The last word rolls off his tongue like a rarest delicacy needed to be savoured. While Bedelia takes a seat at the mauve tufted settee, the woman leads Hannibal away to help him with the selection. He seems oddly comfortable in this setting and Bedelia wonders if he bought lingerie for any other person, _other_ _lover_ , an assumption that leaves her more bothered than she would care to admit.

Hannibal’s return interrupts her thoughts. He joins her at settee and she looks at the item in his hands. It is not what she anticipated; long, silk pyjamas in a deep shade of indigo. She looks at him with a puzzled expression.

“You had sets like this one back home. I presumed you like them,” he says calmly as though it is perfectly normal for him to know the contents of her old closet. Bedelia tills her head and raises an eyebrow, but does not comment.

“Yes, I do,” she confirms his obvious observation, yet this does not explain his choice. “I thought you would prefer if I wore something less _covered_.”

Hannibal smiles. “I would rather you wore nothing at all. Besides- “his fingers slide along the slick material,” this is very easy to remove,” he adds with an overconfident look. Bedelia gives him a stern stare, but the notion is not objectionable to her. And she is pleased with his choice.

 

They continue down the high-end shopping streets and Hannibal leads her to a Gucci boutique. As Bedelia is treated to a glass of champagne, he takes his time carefully assessing the clothes. He appraises the cut and the fabric with a critical eye. She admires his dedication, wondering if he put this much attention to every piece he bought her.

Two glasses later, he makes a choice at last and presents her with a dress; it’s long sleeved and made of delicate black lace.

“It’s beautiful,” she was expecting nothing less from him.

“Would you like to try it on?” he asks and she nods, although she is sure it will fit perfectly. He hands her the dress and she makes her way to the dressing room with Hannibal following closely behind.

“Wait here,” she tells him, watching disappointment fill his eyes as she closes the door in front of his face.

Bedelia can sense his fervour radiating through the barrier of the door and she smiles to herself, slipping the dress on. It gently hugs her curves, a simple cut, but the meticulous design of the fabric makes the dress stunning. She relishes the feel of lace against her skin, not something she has paid attention to before, but now her senses feel amplified and she enjoys every sensual detail.

“You can come in,” she calls and Hannibal enters at once.

He silently admires the sight of her and she motions at the back of the dress and the line of tiny buttons. Hannibal stands behind her and begins to fasten them up, making his way slowly from the middle of her back up to the last one on her neck. His fingertips keep brushing gently against her skin as he proceeds and she shivers. He then places his hands on her shoulders and looks into the mirror, approving the final effect.

They stand in silence and Bedelia admires the image reflected in front of her; she likes the way she looks, she likes the way _they_ look.

“I like it. You better not ruin it,” she speaks at last.

“I need to get two then,” he replies with a smug smile.

Bedelia returns his confident gaze, she senses another shopping trip coming up soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to kmo for the prompt. ♥ The leather jacket and the lace dress were inspired by the season 3 promo pictures (aka bedannibal engagement pictures). Hannibal wore a lot of bow ties in Florence and I headcanon that one of the reasons was that Bedelia really likes them on him. Sadly, she couldn't fully banish his penchant for patterned shirts.  
> Hope you enjoyed it!


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